We Have Always Lived in This Castle

[Lori, Super Mod]

Remember to hide your spoilers with the spoiler code

[Meg]

I just started this book today. So far (and I'm not that far into it yet) it is looking to be a good one. The main character is interesting and engaging and I'm already intrigued by the plot. Has anyone else read this book before or currently reading it?

[Dani]

This book left me with more questions than answers and I'm still perplexed by it. The title of the novel plays into the fantasy world that Merricat lives in with her sister and her cat Jonas and I don't know whether to appreciate Merricat's imagination or see her as a very sick child. The characters in this novel are extremely intricate but you feel that you barely get a chance to know them by the time the book ends which may be why I'm so perplexed by this book. I enjoyed the novel thoroughly even though it bordered on a horror novel at times; not necessarily by the plot but by Merricat's thoughts and by the ultimate outcome of the book.

(view spoiler)[ I thought that some of Merricat's strangeness would have evolved from the death of her family members but it must have started before that, obviously because she murdered everyone in her family with the exception of her sister. Why did Merricat desire to have her sister to herself? What brought that on, this unhealthy love that she has for Constance and the desire to have the rest of her family dead. And if Constance knew what had actually happened why didn't she say anything? What role did Uncle Julian serve? Merricat never expressed any bitterness but rather love and care towards her Uncle Julian despite having tried to also kill him and actually seemed to legitimately miss him after he passed. More importantly, I think this sickest character in this novel is Constance who appears to be completely unphased by the secluded world that she has been forced to live in by the deeds of her sister. She ignores Merricat's strangeness and has no trouble whatsoever dealing with Uncle Julian's bouts of irrationalism and in the end of the novel is, out of all things, happy! (hide spoiler)]

I could go on with these questions and I hope that the longer I think about the novel and get the opportunity to discuss them that some of the answers will reveal themselves.

[Kathy (ebookkat)]

Meg wrote: "I just started this book today. So far (and I'm not that far into it yet) it is looking to be a good one. The main character is interesting and engaging and I'm already intrigued by the plot. Has a..."

I have never read this classic book before, but thanks to this book club I read it last night. I thought the book was excellent. I liked how it was a short page-turner that I could read in a single sitting. I also liked that it was not a traditional horror book, but instead it was an eerie unnerving twisted story that intrigued me.

[Meg]

Finished yesterday and I agree with Kathy - great page-turner. I'm going to have to check out some other books by Ms. Jackson.

[Carly]

I read this a couple of months ago. It was hard to get into at first, but I hung in there and really liked the book.

It doesn't take long to read it or listen to it.

[[deleted user]]

Started the book late, had to finish two others first. I got the big book of Ms. Jackson's work so it may take me a while. Really excited though.

[Trisha]

I just grabbed a copy and found out that the authou also wrote "The Haunting of Hill House". I love spooky books so, since they were both short, I snagged them both. I will post some comments in the next day or so!

[Trisha]

I am halfway through the book and....uhm....does anyone else get the feeling that the characters are a little....crazy??? There is no freaking way that I would go to their house for tea! Haha!

[Eve]

Trisha wrote: "I am halfway through the book and....uhm....does anyone else get the feeling that the characters are a little....crazy??? There is no freaking way that I would go to their house for tea! Haha!"

LOL Uh, no, I think it would be best to avoid eating there at all costs. This book is a wonderful example of having an unreliable narrator telling the shocking story.

[Trisha]

Finished the book this morning and I really liked it!
Beware of *SPOILERS* in case I give anything away!

First of all, was anyone else confused by Merricat's age?? The book said that she was 18, but she acted more like she was 8. I thought that her and her sister were definitely diagnosable on multiple levels! There was major agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive behaviors, just the way that they spoke and interacted with each other was flat out creepy.

I was surprised to find the story a little sad, especially by how the community treated them in the end (view spoiler)[ I actually felt heartbroken as they hid in the shadows and watched the towns people smash their windows and destroy their home. And I just wanted to hug them both as they walked through the home to find everything smashed and broken. They may have been crazy, but that was their home and I really felt sad for them :-( (hide spoiler)]

And can someone explain to me what the heck Charles wanted?? Did he want their money? Did he want constance? It seemed like the girls were content with their reclusive lives and Charles came in and really messed up everything.

Overall, good book.

[Dani]

Trisha wrote: "Finished the book this morning and I really liked it!
Beware of *SPOILERS* in case I give anything away!

First of all, was anyone else confused by Merricat's age?? The book said that she was 1..."

I felt the same as you about this book Trisha. Great read.

Merricat definitely didn't appear to act her age and both her and Constance were definitely ill.

I was also sad during the climax of the story and didn't feel that what happened to Merricat and Constance was fair.

I think that Charles was pretending to want Constance so that he could get at their money. In the end though I think he felt remorse because he discovered that he legitimately cared about Constance and maybe even Merricat.

[Janice (JG)]

I'm coming into this discussion late, and I am still waiting for my copy of this book, but I thought I'd mention that Jackson's other stories, such as the infamous The Lottery and the truly frightening The Haunting of Hill House also deal with the subject of isolation from normal society. ...Castle... & The Lottery also both deal with small-town prejudice and alienation, which Wikipedia states was based upon the small town that Jackson & her husband lived in -- North Bennington, Vermont, where they encountered strong "reflexive anti-Semitism and anti-intellectualism.".

I think Jackson is an incredible writer, and I'm looking forward to reading this book. I hope to add more here later.

[Carly]

Charles definitely wanted the money.

[Trisha]

I just finished reading "The Haunting of Hill House" (Since "...the castle" was so good), but I was really disappointed! It wasn't scary at all, it was actually really confusing. I have no idea what was going on, especially at the end. I thought "...the castle" was sooo much better!